Besides just having a positive attitude, one thing that will make it a lot easier is to pick something to get better at and focus on it specifically. At our club, we have weekly focus points with this in mind, but there is no reason you can't incorporate your own personal, longer-term focus point.
So what would you like to get better at? It could be something you feel like you are struggling with, could be something you just really want to be good at, could even be something you already feel pretty good with but want to get better still, could be ANYTHING!
But here is the key: It needs to be specific. You could just say something like, "I want to get better at the jab" and pay attention to the cues we give you in classes and practice at home but you will have more success if you get a little deeper So instead you could say, "I want to be able to get my hand back faster after throwing a jab" or, "I want my left shoulder to not feel so tired when I throw jabs" or "I want to be able to throw my jab while moving and not feel so awkward" or anything that refers to specific parts of a jab (or whatever you pick) so that it is easier to observe and measure.
Then the next time you train, pay special attention to that component and see how you are doing. Remember to check in multiple times, too. Like you might be getting that jab hand back lightning fast in the first couple of rounds but what about later, when you are tired?
Another thing you could and should do is mention this to your coach. Tell me what you want to try and improve and I will definitely give you a tip or 3, as well as observe your progress. Even if you don't know what you want to get better at, you could ask your coach what they think. I will always be glad to give you a suggestion or 3. You could also just even come up with something at random.
One thing you can do when picking something to get better at - whether it is in boxing or life in general - is stop having limiting thoughts:
"I can't learn to punch harder because I am small, and weak and older and not really a boxer anyway so who cares?"
"I can't get up early in the morning to exercise (or do anything) because I am not a morning person"
"I can't get any better at footwork because I have bad knees"
There are a million of them and again, this relates to pretty much anything in life. Some are silly but plenty of them are logical and make perfect sense. But that doesn't mean they are 100% correct. There may be ways to accomplish things that you haven't considered. If you say something to yourself like, “I am not a morning person,” it is limiting. Maybe you don't love getting up early in the morning. But don't just reject all possibilities by defining yourself that way. It's that classic mindset of thinking about how you can do something as opposed to thinking about all the ways you can't do something. The instant you start looking at life and boxing from the can standpoint, as opposed to the can't, I guarantee you that your boxing - and really your life!- will get better.
Of course you don't have to start with anything big either, unless you are really in the mood for a big life overhaul. Just pick one specific thing about boxing and start from there!
